Beauty and the Vampire
by AllIHaveIsYou
Summary: A different take on Edward and Bella meeting...James has kept Bella as a human pet, Edward finds her when hunting James, the story is better than summary, benefit of the doubt?
1. Chapter 1

**A Different take on the whole Bella meets Edward thing....its still early, I have no idea how its going to end, I've got a few ideas, AU OOC **

**Disclaimer: I dont own, I just play...**

He was here, I could smell him. I just didn't know where. His scent had guided me to a lodge; it was a pretty thing, wooden panelling, nice porch. The rooms were dark, night had descended in the forest and this little house wasn't immune.

I ran to the steps, and straight through the open door. At once I was assaulted by the smell of human blood; it was sweet, pumping with adrenaline. I was led into the living area by the combination of a human girl's scent and the vampire I was hunting. The dark didn't even phase my eyes, I could see everything is shadowed clarity, my eyes scanned the room and fell on a small woman, she sat in the corner, her eyes moving frantically in the darkness. Her breathing was erratic and her heartbeat picked up when she heard my entrance into the small room. She had cuts over her body, cuts I could smell. Her blood was enticing, I won't lie, but the thought of draining her never even crossed my mind, I wanted to protect her.

Strange impulse, I thought to myself. And that's when it clicked, I couldn't hear the woman's mind, neither could I hear the vampires. I growled out loud when I realised he had tricked me here, with his scent all over her and then smell of fresh blood.

The girl shuffled further into the wall when she heard my growl, I was instantly worried I had frightened her, irrational, I know. I should just leave her here, but I couldn't bring myself to. She just looked so frail, even in the darkness.

I knew James had kept a 'pet.' But I never thought I would feel these impulses, these compulsions to help her, to get her to a clean safe place.

I went to her side and she moved away from me, tilting her head into the wall, her sobs of fear felt like they would break my dead heart.

"Shh," I tried to soothe her, "you are safe now, I'm going to take you to a safe place, is that ok?"

She shook her head frantically in the darkness, "h...he is coming back for me, he...he said not to move, if I move he...he's going to..."

"He won't, I'll keep you safe, I promise." And I would, I just couldn't imagine not keeping her safe. She continued to shake her head, tears falling down her face, I felt my own crumple in agony, this beautiful woman should not be scared, she should never cry.

And she was beautiful, I could see her long dark hair falling in waves around her delicate shoulders, her frame was small, slender. Her body covered in an off white dress, that didn't appear to have anything on underneath. Her face was slightly round yet had feminine lines, her eyes appeared to be dark in their colour but I couldn't make out the actual shade.

I shook my head, reaching out for her, she wasn't going to verbally agree to come with me, she was too terrified of James, as soon as my hands touched her she flinched away, her whole body tensed and she shut her eyes, though she made no move to escape my arms or any sound of fright.

I carried her back to my home, swiftly running through the trees.  
When I got there I had to release her, my muscles tensed, the venom flooded my mouth. Running with her incredibly warm body nestled snugly into mine was too much, I wasn't tempted before but now, my veins wanted her.

I turned on the light and laid her body on the sofa that dominated the west wall of my living area. I dashed out again, needing some kind of untainted air passing through my lungs. And I needed to find her a blanket, once I had controlled myself, and torn the curtains from the unused room on the second floor for a blanket, I went back into the room with the girl.

**so what do you think?...**


	2. Chapter 2

She was standing in the doorway, head bowed low and her arms in front of her, as if waiting for something.

I controlled my breathing and walked slowly up to her, fanning the makeshift blanket around her shoulders. I placed my hands on the top of her arms and guided her to sit back down on the sofa, she looked incredibly confused.

"My name is Edward," I needed some way to assure her, "do you have a name?"

"a...a...a name?" her eyes were focused on her lap, I lifted my finger to her chin and brought her face up, my eyes met her and I stifled a gasp, her eyes were the most deep shade of chocolate brown I had ever seen, they were brimmed with not yet fallen tears, the water making them sparkle at me. "Bella, I think my name is Bella." Her voice was small, and soft.

I looked down at her again, my eyes scanning for any serious damage. Her mahogany hair fell across her shoulders, the contrast against her skin shocking. I looked over the shallow cuts on the tops of her legs, just below the hem line of the dress she was wearing, noticing too all the scars that faintly crossed the fresh cuts paths. Some looked months old, others looked years.

How could someone so beautiful be put through so much pain?

"Bella I'm going to check you is that okay?" I thought I should ask before I touched her, she seemed jumpy, and her body still hadn't relaxed.

She nodded and her head fell again, she shrugged the blanket off and stood before me. My eyes raked up her arms, my fingertips following. She had slices all up her arms, deep scars on her wrists, none of the recent wounds posed any real risk but I was still heartbroken by them. My hands turned her round and I examined the rest of her skin, again, none of the marks seemed to call my attention. I briefly thought in my head about the courses of action and I settled for cleaning her up myself. I took her hand and led her to the bathroom on the second floor.

I ran the water into the tub, turning the temperature down, as much as I loved the scalding heat of no cold water, I'm sure Bella wouldn't. When I turned back towards her she had undressed, she stood before me, and the dress lay on the side cabinet. Her head low she walked towards me, I snapped out of my semi trance when she was barely a foot away from me.

"Bella...I um...think you should...clean up." I stammered, I couldn't really help it. If I thought she was beautiful before I was blind, the way her neck curved down her chest and flowed into her stomach, was beyond beauty. Her slender legs met in the middle, her hip bones barely visible yet sensually enticing, her curves made her seem like a goddess in the low light of the bathroom.

She made no attempt to move, I reached behind me and turned the water off, before leaning towards her and placing my hands beneath her knees, scooping her up and placing her in the water.

She winced a little when her lower half was submerged, bringing her knees up and drawing her arms around them, she dropped her head again and the bottom of her hair brushed the water edge. That when I saw them.

The scent hit me, almost propelling me forward into the soft flesh of the girl in the water; if I wasn't overcome by so many emotions I probably would have entertained the idea.

Across her back she had been marked, several long gashes ran across the perfect skin, blood trickled into the water. I was terrified for her, heartbroken for her, angry for her, the last proving the strongest. How could anyone mar such a perfect creature, cause something so innocent pain?

I struggled to maintain my composure, I needed to pull in my murderous rage, I would take revenge on James, for Bella. I kneeled by the edge of the tub and rolled my sleeves up. I reached for the sponge and cleaned the shuddering beauty sitting in the water in front of me. Every time I grazed a new cut she would wince, every time her face screwed up in pain I felt my silent chest contract.

I swear I would've cried for her if I could when I trailed the wet sponge down her back, she cried out a little, almost silently.

After I had lifted her out, I led her back downstairs, her dress was smeared in her blood and smelt like James, and I couldn't let her wear the only reminder of that pain. I dried her and buttoned one of my shirts around her sleek frame. All the while she never said a word to me, just kept her beautiful eyes downcast, her mind not giving me anything either. So I was surprised when she opened her lips.

**reveiw me if its worth reading more of....**

**:)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okies, so I was on MSN talking to my cousin and after like twenty mintues of posting this story I had little emails come through...it was so awesome...but now my cousin thinks im insane, not that she didnt know that already...buy still....yay...  
Thanks for all the reveiws and stuff...they are more awesome than watching Jacob dive off a cliff...(I'm a Jake fan BTW it would just be pretty cool to see him do that...)**

_All the while she never said a word to me, just kept her beautiful eyes downcast, her mind not giving me anything either. So I was surprised when she opened her lips._

"You're a v...vampire." she stuttered out, I was buttoning the last button on the shirt and I looked into her eyes, the brown was shimmering,

"Yes" I replied simply, she took a deep breath, the air hitting me in a gust,

"Are you...going to kill me?" her voice was low, shaky, could she really believe I was going to kill her?

"No, I told you, you were safe here, I won't hurt you." She had to believe me. Her body tensed when I spoke the words and her eyes clenched shut,

"That's what he said, he said, he would never hurt me...but he did...so many times," she whispered the last parts, her voice barely audible. My anger flared again, a tear slid down her cheek and my hand went up to cup it, she jumped when my hand touched her skin. My thumb brushed away her tear,

"I promise, I swear not to hurt you." I whispered at her, she must hear my sincerity; she had to know she was safe here. Her eyes met mine again; they never failed to amaze me, their depth, their shade, their overall beauty.

"I didn't want to go with him," her eyes pleaded with me to believe her, my chest contracted painfully. "But he was so strong," she shook her head, my hand dropped from her face, more tears escaped her eyes. I yearned to take her pain away but I just stood there listening to her.

"I had no one, nowhere to run, my family died when I was little, I don't even remember them." she opened her eyes and stared at the floor just to the side of me, "it was so dark and cold, I had nowhere, and he said he would keep me safe. He took me to his room, and I didn't want to, but he was too strong, he was so strong. He kept holding my wrists, I remember bruises on them." She looked down at her wrists and traced them with her fingertips. "I didn't move, he didn't like that, I had to move, to..." she closed her eyes and shook her head, I could imagine too well the things he made her do, my anger resurfaced but she continued.

"Then when I didn't...I thought he was going to kill me, but he left...when he came back he had this little girl..." Bella ran her hands around her wrists, never meeting my eyes; I stood and listened to her story, my heart breaking when fresh tears welled up in her eyes,

"She was only tiny, so small, she was crying, she was so scared...he said if I won't...then she will, but then he grinned at me," she was fidgeting with her hands, frantically rubbing at her wrists. "He grabbed her tiny neck and leant down, she tried to scream, I tried to scream...but it was too late...I thought that night would never end...I had so much of her blood on me..."

Her hands were pulling at her wrists, scratching them, I moved my hands up to take them away, but my arms pulled hers around me, and encircled her instinctively,

"it never ended, every night...I thought I would never die, Edward I wanted to die...why wouldn't he let me die?" her voice pleaded with me, begging me to give her an answer as she sobbed into my chest, her body shaking against mine violently.

"Shh Bella its okay, you're safe now, he won't be coming back." I didn't know what I could say to her that would comfort her, I wasn't even sure this creature could be comforted.

I guided her over to the sofa, which had to make do as a bed for her now. She still cried out into my chest, clutching at the material with her tiny fingers, I sat next to her, listening to her mumble incoherently through her sobs, until she fell asleep. Her shaking slowed and stopped long after the cries, her breathing evened out and her heartbeat rested. I looked down at the angel in my arms and watched her.

Her face was peaceful; she looked beautiful in her rest. Although her face still shined a little with her tears, and her skin was red, she still looked amazing. I smiled at her, gently brushing her warm cheeks with my hand, drying her tears.

"Please," she mumbled, so quietly, her face fell from its peaceful slumber and she hid it in my chest, her hands clutched onto me, I lay perfectly still, torn between not wanting to wake her and not wanting her to dream about whatever was making her twitch and murmur like that.

"Please stop, don't..." her hand clutched onto me even tighter. I silently cursed the world in my head, was it not enough that this angel had suffered? Did she have to relive her torture through her dreams?

"Bella shh" I tried to reach out to her; maybe her subconscious would hear my plea. When my hand touched her skin she awoke, she jumped out of my arms and flew across to the other side of the sofa, shaking and looking around her, when her eyes laid on mine she calmed, she stopped shaking but didn't make her way back over to me. Instead she wrapped her arms around herself and put her head on her knees. Her breathing slowed again and I knew she had fallen back asleep. I carefully, slowly, pushed her down so she lay back on the fabric; she curled up on her side. I retrieved the curtain blanket from the floor and wrapped it around her.

I sat and watched her through most of the night, occasionally her body would tense up and her eyebrows would knit together, she would press her face into the sofa, those things never hurt as much as when she would cry out, she would beg for him to stop.

As much as I didn't want to leave her, I knew she would be hungry when she woke; I wasn't exactly stocked up on food, when the sun had risen and she still hadn't woken up, I decided to get her the things she would need.

**Can I ask?...what is everyones thoughts on reveiw replys? I mean I am new to this...and I have no problem writing them, I just wondered if you wanted a reply every time...It helps me out to get them so I'd be happy to reply...**

**btw I will proberly post the next chapter today... :)**

**love love...and all that jazz....**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm terrible honestly...I write so far ahead of myself... *shakes head***

**The Cullen's will be in this story breifly, but your not going to like it...thats all im saying...although you can probably guess what happened....**

When I returned to the apartment she was still asleep on the sofa, it took me a few seconds to realise that the things I had bought needed to be out away, but I was enthralled by her.

It was good that I had all the typical kitchen appliances, living in a fully furnished home has its benefits; I loaded the fridge, and cupboards and stocked the bathroom. I was stuffing the pillows in the pillow cases when I heard her stand, her feet shuffled around on the wooden floor and I could hear her breathing. Once I had finished my task, which took a little longer than necessary due to the fact I was trying to monitor her every movement, I walked into the doorway separating the kitchen area and the living area.

She was standing by the wall, her head craned up to the books that were held on my shelves, the messy row of leather and plastic had her smiling. She was stunning, her face lit up as she inspected my literature, I couldn't help but smile back at her.

"My mother had this book." She murmured, not even looking in my direction, I felt my head tilt to the side as I looked curiously at her, my entrance had been silent I was sure of it, I didn't want to startle her.

"How did you know I was here?" it was simpler to ask her outright then to try and figure her out, plus I just loved hearing her voice.

"I've lived with James since I was fourteen, I got used to it" her hand dropped from the book and she turned her body to me, but kept her eyes downcast. She opened her mouth to speak but then stopped herself; this frustrated me more than I thought it would, what could she possibly feel she couldn't tell me?

"What is it?" I asked, measuring my steps as I came closer to her, she didn't move,

"A...am I staying here now?" her voice was low, I stepped a little closer,

"If you want to," I placed my hands on her shoulders, she still didn't move," you said you had nowhere to go, you will be safe here." She looked up at me,

"Do I belong to _you_ now?"

I couldn't help myself, I let out a growl when those word were spoken, she flinched back from my voice, moving about a foot away from me, my arms dropped by my sides, my fist clenching. He treated her like a possession, this fragile thing. I may have a moral conscience, but still to let an angel believe she is no more than a possession, he had to pay; I needed my revenge, even more so in this second.

For a moment I lost my hold on repressing those memories, the reason I hunted James to begin with. I shook my head trying to clear the thoughts away. Visions of them burning were etched into my vampire memory; I vaguely felt my thumb and fingers pressing the bridge of my nose.

The thing that broke my thoughts of running out of the door to find him was an almost silent shuffle of feet. I opened my eyes and Bella was far away from me, almost across the room, shaking slightly.

"Bella I'm sorry" I had to apologise, but it didn't seem enough, I had scared her, which was unacceptable. I moved slowly back towards her, she dropped her head again, but her breathing increased. "It's just..." I tried to think of a way to explain my anger, "the way you spoke, as if I...I owned you. I'm not him Bella, I won't treat you like he did, I swear to you. While you are here you're free to do what you want."

She stopped shaking and looked up at me, her shoulders relaxed and she sighed quietly. I just stood there, trying vainly to apologise to her through wordless communication. The room fell silent save for the steady beat of her heart and our breathing. It took me a minute of two to remember the food.

"I picked up something for you to eat, are you hungry?" I took a step to the side, gesturing for her to lead into the kitchen. She walked past me still only clad in my shirt, I briefly thought about the clothes I had picked up for her as I walked into the kitchen behind her.

"I also have some clothes for you, in case you got cold," I smiled and she returned it timidly, "What would you like to eat?"

She looked at me wide eyed for a second and I walked around the counter, signalling her to sit on one chairs.

"I honestly don't know." Her voice low,

I smiled at her again; I began arranging various human foods on the counter. She ate some of it, I watched her the whole time. I knew she must have been starving yet she picked at the food, pulling bits of the bread off with her slender fingers first before putting it in her mouth, it was strange but she was graceful.

We talked a little, trivial things. But she would move on her chair, or say something and blush, oh that blush, it was the most delicious thing I had ever seen. I found myself laughing, shocked when I did, the sound was strange to me, and I hadn't laughed in a long time.

I hadn't had any reason to carry on except the hunt for James; my contingency plans fell short of anything but killing him then booking a plane ride to Italy. But now I had Bella.

**aww he has Bella...I thought that little line was super cute...reveiw me if I'm doing something right....thankies...**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm thinking, Cullens story next chapter? tell me what you think...**

Once she had finished eating I handed her the clothes and told her she could change in the bathroom, many of the rooms in this house were unused, I couldn't bear the thought of filling them, Carlisle's office remained as it had been, his and Esme's room much the same. Alice and Jaspers room still was full of discarded pieces of paper, sketches and battle plans, Emmett and Rosalie's room was empty. None of the former occupants would ever come back, they hadn't been in there for years yet their scent lingered, and tore at my memory every time I went up there, so I just stopped going.

When Bella had came back down she had dressed herself in a deep blue buttoned blouse and faded jeans, the blue curved around her shoulders, and her collarbone was exposed, the white of her skin and the darkness of her hair contrasted with the blue and the effect was stunning.

"That colour blue looks lovely with your skin,"

She still shuffled around, on edge, her head bowed low.

When I walked up to her she smiled at me, that smile would propel my heart right out of my chest if it were still beating, her eyes connected with mine and I got lost again in her chocolate.

"Why are your eyes golden?" her voice was quite, but she sounded as if she were in awe, I quickly remembered that the only eyes she had looked in for years were the fierce scarlet of her captor,

"I have a different...hunting pattern than normal vampires," she looked at me through her lashes, and her eyebrows knitted together, I wanted to smooth the lines with my fingertips, to relax her face.

"what does that mean?" she tilted her head to the side slightly, I sighed, gesturing for her to sit down, she complied and I sat next to her, leaning my elbows on my knees.

"James and the others of my kind, hunt and kill humans, it's the natural course for us, but myself and another family that I know, we hunt animal instead," I glanced in her direction, she seemed to understand.

"Why?"

"I don't want to be a monster, Bella." I said it as if the notion was painfully obvious, although I knew my way of life was strange.

"I guess that makes sense." She smiled at me again, I retuned it.

I began asking her questions, I couldn't help myself.

She told me that she liked to read, that when James left her in his apartment she would find old books that belonged to the previous owner. She told me the little things she remembered before she was taken, she regaled me with the sound of the birds she would hear at night when he left her alone, the things she had found, the things she had hidden from him, like the books. The way her lips would move when she recounted passages in stories I almost knew by heart made me feel strange, like I wanted to touch them. I imagined what her lips would feel like, soft, warm against mine.

I stopped myself there, I would not put her in that kind of danger, no matter what I may feel for her, I wasn't even sure what I felt for her, but I knew it was beyond protectiveness, I wanted to never be without this girl.

The conversation was one sided to start with, just like before in the kitchen, but then she started asking me questions, she asked me about my life, or lack thereof, I tried to keep it honest, just looking into her eyes would temporarily blind me into blurting out whatever she wanted to know. I only gave her half lies when she asked me if I remembered my sire, I told her I knew him, I lived with him for a while but then we parted. I didn't give her details of the rest of them, more afraid that the story itself would break me.

The things she would say would be innocent enough, but she would throw a few deadly questions at me,

"Have you always hunted animals?"

I wasn't sure if I should lie or tell her the truth, which would be safer for her peace of mind? I decided to go with the truth,

"Not always, when I was younger I hunted humans, but I'm long past that urge," I smiled at her trying to diffuse the tiny minefield that question could bring up. Would she leave? I had given her the option, I had told her she wasn't mine to keep against her will, but I was terrified at the thought.

She smiled back at me and continued on with her interrogation, I was beyond relieved that subject never came up again. The room started to darken and her stomach grumbled, I laughed at myself, I had forgotten that she had to eat more frequently than myself, I silently stood, and reached out my hand for hers, she hesitated but took it, and I led her into the kitchen.

She yawned when she had finished her food and I grabbed the pillows and blankets that I had bought earlier; I made the sofa at least look like a bed, she climbed in between the sheets, commenting on how soft they were, before falling asleep amongst the silk.

She slept more soundly this time, she turned and tossed, but she didn't cry out, that I was thankful for.

I watched her, part of me waiting for the torment, the other part hoping it would never come,

"Edward..."

"it's okay Bella I'm here, go back to sleep,"

"Edward," she mumbled my name again and turned over, her body facing the ceiling, I was about to shush her again when I noticed.

She was asleep, she was asleep and she was dreaming of me. Her face looked relaxed and she sighed, rolling over again to curl up into a ball.

To say I had the breath knocked out of me was an understatement, I truly hadn't realised I was holding it in, I sat there across from her, mere feet away from this creature of pure beauty and she was dreaming of me. I let out my air and dragged another one in. I cursed myself when the venom pooled in my mouth and my throat burned, I wasn't used to having a human in close proximity before, and it was only now that I realised how much she had saturated my home with her scent. I needed to hunt; I needed to get _these_ desires out of my system before she woke.

**ok so this was sort of a filler chapter...it still had substance... :) ... can I just say, no matter how cliché it is, thankies for the reveiws and stuff...I seriously smile hugely when I get one, they are so awesome...**

**oh and the next chapter will be up later today....hehe**


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay so here's what happened to the Cullen's, like I said, it's not great...the italics are the flashbacks/memories...*tear***

I arrived back to the house to find an empty sofa, empty living room. I immediately panicked, that was until I heard water running, and her steady heart beat. I breathed a large sigh of relief and decided to leave her to it, to let her become comfortable in the house. I busied myself with tiding the blankets and pillow away.

When she came downstairs I was immediately was assaulted by Alice's scent. I looked at Bella, she was wearing the same blue blouse as before, I briefly smelt Jasper on her, but Alice's scent was the strongest.

"Bella?" I was stunned, why had she gone in that room? The scent hit me harder than it should have,

"Whose room is the one with all the drawings?"

My eyes closed, I could not have this conversation with her, it hurt too much. My hands came up and rubbed my temples,

"Edward?" her voice was sweet, how could I not tell her the truth?

"It was Alice and Jaspers room," I sighed I defeat, collapsing on the couch behind me, such a dramatic human gesture. She walked towards me and knelt in front of my knees,

"Alice and Jasper?" Just hearing someone else say their names brought back their memory, I had fought so hard to keep it out.

"They were my family; they were killed, along with my mother and father." My voice was lower than a whisper, she placed her hands on my shoulders and looked into my eyes, silently pleading me to continue, this angel would be the death of me, I shuddered,

"Your human family?"

My eyes shut and I shook my head, the grief of their deaths flashing before my black vision.

_The red haired female launched herself at Jasper, he had experience in fighting, but this woman, Victoria, was a skilled opponent. She and Jasper fought, snarls and growls errupting from everywhere, Emmett and rose were tracking the leader, James, while Esme and Carlisle were trying to control the newborn, Riley. The older vampire, Laurent, didn't take much from my part, _

"We were attacked, by a coven, they heard us in the woods and were offended when my father asked them not to hunt in the immediate area. They attacked naturally, to claim the territory. The leader thought that because we were bonded, that we had human feelings we were weak, he planned to claim the territory and raise his own coven," I shook my head thinking of Carlisle and Jaspers feeble attempt to diffuse the situation.

"James," she whispered, "that's why you were hunting us," her hands dropped from my face and her own went strangely blank, "he told me, he said he tried to take out a larger coven, and succeeded, Edward..."

"he did succeed, he, two other older vampires and a newborn killed four of my family, my mother, Esme, my father, Carlisle, and my siblings Alice and Jasper," I fell back into the sofa and closed my eyes, again.

_Alice left me to help Jasper, he was going to receive a blow to the chest that would momentarily knock him off balance, Alice had seen it and left me to finish off Laurent, with our gifts we had chosen to go after the oldest vampire. I threw the pieces onto the pyre and let them burn, I turned to help the others when Alice's voice rang through my mind, she had a vision, the second I saw it through her it happened. _

_Victoria had made a split decision to take out the smallest member of our coven, going straight for her head; I launched myself across the trees, but only made it in time to see Victoria throw my sisters body onto the large fire at the end of the field. I raced over to her but it was too late, my sister was gone. My grief buckled me to the ground, I faintly heard Jasper roar and I heard his incoherent anger as he flung himself at the red head. _

"_Esme NO!" Carlisle shouted in my head, not only out loud, I saw my adoptive mother being torn at the waist by the blond haired newborn. Her scream rang out in the clearing, Carlisle rushed at the uncontrolled vamp, but clashed into James._

_Victoria was getting the better of Jasper, he wasn't concentrating, his thoughts only of Alice as he snapped at the smiling vampire. Emmett and Rose were lost on James' trail, I couldn't hear their thoughts, but James was here, holding my creator to the ground as he watched, as did I, through his mind, his wife burn. _

_I was torn, I couldn't move, on one hand my brother was about to be killed, on the other Carlisle's throat was exposed to James teeth, I sped across the clearing to my father, and knocked James to the ground, I growled and snapped at his throat but his strong arms were holding me above him, I struggled against him, he pushed me off and threw me into the boulder situated more than fifty yards from him, _

_In the back of my mind I heard Jaspers cries as Victoria's teeth plunged into his neck, ripping his head clean off, her thoughts of triumph. Carlisle raced to help his son, he just kept repeating over and over, 'not them too, please no.'_

"they were smart, all of them, they shouldn't have died," my voice broke my reverie, I looked over at Bella, he face was heartbroken, she had tears in her eyes, "Carlisle wasn't strong enough after watching Esme and Jasper turn to ash, James and I fought and I tried to get free to help him, but Victoria, and the newborn finished him."

"Edward I'm so sorry."

"It happened long ago, its okay." But it wasn't okay, their faces, their thoughts kept screaming at me now I had relived them, I needed to get out into the fresh air, I needed to run.

"What happened to Victoria and the newborn?" she inquired quietly,

"_Go on Victoria, escape this... run...I'll just follow." _

_She leapt towards me, snarling. Her white venom coated teeth inches from my face, I pushed her to the ground and straddled her chest. She bucked wildly beneath me, trying to get free. Her dark eyes almost reflecting mine, she hadn't hunted in a while, I idly thought if that was my doing, chasing her through state after state was time consuming, I wasn't even sure she had time to get a kill in before fleeing each of her temporary hideouts. My hand came round to grasp her throat, she tried to pull me off, but I was stronger, my teeth cut into her neck, severing it. Her body writhed again; it made it slightly more difficult to dismember her._

_Afterwards I just stood and watched the smoke billow into the murky clouds._

"Victoria turned on the newborn, after he had lost his strength,"

"And Victoria...?"

"I took care of it," my voice sounded cold, I could only imagine how terrifying it must have sounded. "Bella, I'm sorry, I need to leave you for a few hours, I will be back soon, I promise..."

She nodded as I stood; I walked at human pace to the door, and then hit full vampire speed before I hit the last step on the porch. Running was much easier to me, I could smell the leaves, the earth, each animal I passed, everything. I could temporarily try to forget the horrors I had witnessed, the ones I had lost, but it wasn't so easy,

"_YOU LOST HIM EMMETT!!" _

_Rosalie snarled at me and stood beside Emmett, who was crumpled on the floor, dry sobbing._

"_Edward...he led us south...we went south." He mumbled shaking,_

"_Edward it is not our fault, you need someone to blame, we will not accept responsibility." Her voice was nothing short of a growl, her thoughts, were distraught. She blamed herself for catching the wrong scent and telling Emmett to follow her, _

_"We can't stay here, Edward." She whispered, Emmett shot his head up, but his thoughts agreed, I never even noticed her thoughts led to that course of action, "there are too many reminders... we have to leave Forks."_

The silence that hung in the air that night was almost too unbearable, both of their dead hearts broke when I told them I was staying, they begged and begged for me to come with them, masochistic is the word I believe Emmett used.

The night they left I began my hunt.

Now, flying through the trees it was too easy to remember it, I was running just as I had ran before, to track him, the only one who had escaped. I ran straight past an old oak and my body stopped before I had the chance to catch up with my actions. There, on the bark...was a fresh trail.

**Dun Dah Dah Dun...**

**Next chapter either up tonight or tommorrow..depends on how impatient I get...**


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay so this is a short-ish one, enjoy...**

He had been here less than a day ago; he had passed this same path. I could smell his scent o the bark and on the debris heading west, I automatically adjusted my course.

After almost two years of tracking this monster it wasn't surprising that I fell back into my old habits, I crouch towards the ground, running but not at full speed, he had carried on in a straight path, like he knew exactly where he was going. What was surprising is the fact that he was back in forks. I was sure he had left, I hadn't _actively_ searched for a fresh trail, Bella took up most of my thoughts.

The scent got stronger, my legs quickened, if I could find his place of rest, a place he lingered, I would be one step closer to tracking his most likely course. It would be a lot easier if I knew what he was in Forks for.

Before I could speculate, the small lodge I had found Bella in came into my view, her scent still faintly touched the air, almost diminished by the forest, and James' scent.

I raced up the steps and flung the door open, desperate to find his scent strong, that he had come back here. I was right, he was here, but he had left, not a few hours ago. He had doubled back from the living area, where I found Bella,

Bella.

He was here for Bella, he must have been, he left her here for me to find, to lead my off his trail, and now he was here, I could tell he didn't enter any other room in the house, he must have come back for her.

But what did he expect to find? His pet crouching in the corner days after he abandoned her? Would she really have been so terrified of him that she wouldn't have moved?

My biggest concern was for her now, if I had crossed his scent in the trees, I know he would've caught hers and mine leading from here to my home, he was a far more superior tracker than I.

I hurtled myself through the open doorway and through the forest, I had to get home, I had to protect Bella, if he had found her...I couldn't even make myself think of the things he could've done, what he would do. I had to focus all of my energy on making it back to my home before he could.

Before the house came into view his scent stopped, just stopped, it didn't turn off, change course or anything, it just stopped. My mind flew through the possibility that he was still here, but I couldn't hear his thoughts, I argued with myself that he must have just doubled back on himself.

I flew into the house at an inhuman speed to find Bella sitting on the sofa reading a hardback copy of Emily Brontë's work, she seemed startled at my sudden appearance and stood up to walk towards me.

"Edward what is it?" her voice sounded worried.

I thought about telling her what I had found in the forest, I thought about how she would react, she seemed to be adjusting here, she seemed to feel safe, and she was different from the girl I had rescued. In such a short time span it was a miracle, but as selfish as it was, I knew it was partly because of me, I had made her feel safe. I could never tell her that she wasn't safe with me, the news of James' return would surely damage her again, and I couldn't do that.

I would protect her, I would keep her safe, and I would kill James, and she would never have to know, she would never be plagued with the nightmare that he was indeed coming back for her.

"It's nothing, I thought I heard something," I smiled naturally at her, "I overreacted," she smiled back at me, "Emily Brontë?" I said trying to distract her, it worked.

**the next chapter is a long one, its also a VERY important one in the relationship between Edward and Bella, I'll proberly post it later on today...**


	8. Chapter 8

**Like I said this is an important chapter in Edward and Bella's relationship, and its long one...plus I couldn't resist...**

After that night I began the hunt, I would wait for Bella to fall asleep, I would watch her, I tried not to but she was too enticing, the way her hair fanned out across the pillow, the way her lips would tremble, the way she would sigh heavily. It was the only time her thoughts were ever exposed to me and I craved it, like a drug.

After midnight would settle, I would search. I picked up his trail easily after the first few nights of wandering through the trees with nothing but hope that he wouldn't find Bella. The scent that was disappearing at the lodge. He never returned to it.

His scent sometimes led me into town, around the streets. It sometimes led me to the clearing I had desperately avoided for five years. When I realised where he was leading me the first time I had stopped completely, I just stood there staring at the direction of his scent, before I plucked up enough courage to walk out into it.

I had missed him by less than an hour tonight, but he was far enough away that I couldn't read his thoughts. I was getting better, shortening the time that he had passed slowly, bit by bit.

When the sun threatened to peak out from behind the white clouds I returned to Bella, like had done for the past week and a half.

Bella never suspected anything; well at least I didn't think she suspected anything. She was happy, smiling and laughing with me, she had told me that I shouldn't shun away from my families memories, but embrace them. I was in awe of her, and I told her about them, about how annoying Alice was when I ripped a shirt she had bought, or how Emmett would get the whole family with one of his pranks. I was surprised to find myself falling a little more in love with Bella every day.

I thought that Bella would dissipate my hatred for what James had done, but one night before I was leaving she awoke screaming. My anger seethed again just below the surface, and only made my lust for his death, for mine and Bella revenge all the more necessary.

As I walked through the doors, I saw her dreaming peacefully and my whole body relaxed, as if I hadn't been hunting all night, as if I had stayed with her all that time.

I waited until she had woken herself; I had made her breakfast before I told her of the days plan.

"Bella would you like to come somewhere with me today?" I smiled at her; she looked across the table and swallowed the bite that she had been chewing on,

"Where?"

"Just a little place I know," just the perfect place, a small meadow I used to go to every time the sky had a lapse in control to keep Forks gloomy, it was well out of range from James' scent, so I knew she would be safe, or I would have never entertained the idea of exposing her.

"Is it nice?" her face lit up,

"Yes, it's a small place in the forest," her body tensed up and her head bowed again, I was at her side in an instant, lifting her chin with my fingertips.

"I will keep you safe, I promise, but I really want you to see it," I smiled at her again, she relaxed her face but she was still tense,

"When do you want to leave?"

"In a little while, you can finish your breakfast first, while I pack you a picnic."

I ran with her perched on my back, it was strange, I was certain she would be afraid, even refuse, but I had the strangest feeling that she had ran with James before, because she flinched a little when I went to pick her up.

I raced her through the forest, it taking a little more time than usual not only because I was carrying her but because I took a different route, a longer one, just to be sure her scent was well out of reach.

When we got to the meadow I set her down a few meters from the edge of the pool of light. She automatically went to walk forward I didn't stop her, nor did I follow.

She stepped out into the sun and her skin reflected it beautifully, her ivory skin seemed more vibrant yet I could still see the faint marks and scars running up her arms.

"It's amazing." She murmured, breaking me out of my staring. She closed her eyes and the slight breeze blew her hair, the strands catching the sunlight and emphasising the mahogany. "Edward?"

I stood in the shadow of a large tree; suddenly my plan didn't seem such a good idea. I didn't know if she would see how similar me and James were is if I exposed myself to her like this, I didn't even know if she had seen a vampire skin in the sunlight, would it frighten her? Would she run?

I don't think I would have the strength to let her leave.

She picked up on my hesitation, she stepped forward,

"Edward, I want to see you in the sun..." she whispered so softly, so tenderly, as if she was comforting me.

After hearing those words, my feet stepped into the blinding, warm light. I heard a gasp and I looked at her, expecting to see her fear, but her face was in awe,

"Beautiful,"

Beautiful? I was beautiful? Did she not know the extent of _her_ beauty? My skin was visually pleasing but that was part of the camouflage, hers wasn't, and she outshone mine is so many ways.

She sank to the ground, crossing her legs, her eyes never leaving mine. She patted the ground next to herself indicating that I should sit with her. I walked over and lowered myself to the ground, sitting inches from her. The warmth from her body combined with the sun's rays overhead was overwhelming.

"It's been a long time since I've seen the sun like this," she tilted her head up again, closing her eyes, her lips curved into a delightful smile.

We sat in companionable silence for a while, just relaxing in the bright light. I leant back on my arms, it was then that I became aware that Bella was watching me, less subtly than I was watching her, she was staring at me. When I returned her gaze she dropped her head and blushed, I couldn't help but chuckle at her, I let my head fall back and I lay on the grass, closing my eyes but still smiling at her. I folded my arms behind my head and listened to her breathing, her heart beat creating a wonderful background noise to the babbling of the little stream to the west and the sound of the breeze moving through the grass.

I jumped a little when her warm hand touched my chest, my eyes snapped open in time to see her lay her head on my arm. She curled her body into mine and sighed, her warmth and her breath fanning across me.

I was frozen, I didn't move a muscle, I didn't know how to move, my whole being held in place by this angel leaning into me.

I listened to my instincts and moved my arm that she was resting against from under my head to wrap it around her back, she twitched a little when I moved but when I placed my hand on her back she snuggled closer to me.

It was intoxicating, we just lay there, her soft body pressed into mine. Her warmth saturating me, her scent washing over me, I couldn't say how long we lay there but she was the first to break the silence.

"Edward?"

"Yes?" I looked down at her and she tilted her head up,

"I think... I don't what it is but..."

"What?" it was frustrating to hear her scramble for words, to see here struggle to convey what her mind wanted to say, but I kept my voice intrigued,

"It feels like I can't breathe," She took in my alarmed expression, "no, in a good way," in a _good_ way? "And my heart beats faster and my stomach feel like its fluttering," she dropped her head and held her hand to her chest, I was so confused, what on earth was she trying to tell me? "it only happens when I'm with you... and it feel like it would hurt me to be away from you, I've never felt like this before Edward..." her voice got quieter before she trailed off.

I understood what she felt, but I hated it.

"I think...I think I love you," she murmured, I felt my body tense up, I had longed to hear those words and yet rebelled against my fantasies, she could not love me, I wasn't capable of being loved, she deserved so much better than me, and yet I couldn't imagine her with anyone else, it hurt me to think of her leaving me. there were so many things she didn't know, so many terrifying things, but she loved me, wouldn't that take away the fear?

I lay there having an internal struggle with myself, when I realised I had not answered her,

"I think I love you too Bella,"

Why did I say that? My mind had clearly formed the words before I had the conscious decision to do so, but as I said the words and her eyes met mine again I knew it was right, it felt right. She smiled at me and the air hummed, electricity flowing through our wordless communication.

Stupidly my body reacted, my head bent down, my lips searched for hers, I could taste her breath on my lips. I was millimetres away when I heard her sharp intake of breath, followed by her whole body tensing up; I opened my eyes and moved back, understanding flitting across my brain as I took in her wide eyes.

What had James done to her? Although I could guess, it was all I could do to stop myself from hurtling from this meadow to continue the hunt. I couldn't bring myself to imagine the horrible things he had made my Bella do, and she was mine now, as much as I was hers. Then something occurred to me,

"Breathe Bella," she had not taken a breath since I moved away, she let it out an sucked in another one, I smiled at her and she ducked her head by my shoulder,

"I'm sorry, it's just...I cant...not yet..." she sounded as if she had tears in her eyes, I couldn't help myself, I had to comfort her, I brought my other hand up from behind my head and caressed her arm soothingly,

"It's okay, I should be sorry..." I chuckled, trying to do anything to make her not be unhappy, it worked, and she lifted her head and smiled at me, blinking back her tears.

Once the shadows had touched us and it got cold, I decided it would be best to leave. I took the same route as I had bringing her here, my overly cautious mind not willing to take any risks with her.

Once we were safely back inside I went to make her up the bed on the sofa, as I did every night. I had placed the pillows out and threw the blanket over when her hand curled around mine,

"Edward," she sounded scared, I quickly turned around to see what the matter was and she had her arms wrapped around her torso, her eyes were slightly wider than usual and she was looking at my chest. "Edward, I'm scared..."

"what, what is it?" I asked frantically trying in vain to lift the reason behind her frightened expression, for a split second I thought she was scared of me,

"I can feel him..." she said quietly, if I were human I would have missed it, I still didn't understand, "it feels like he is close," she paused and I straightened up, "when you were running , it felt like he was watching me, like he was near me,"

She knew, she knew he was back in Forks, I contemplated telling her about my nightly hunts about finding his scent in the lodge but I didn't, making her feel safe was my number one priority. I took her face in my hands,

"He will never even so much as touch you again, Bella I swear, he will never hurt you again,"

She looked into my eyes and a tear slid down her cheek, my thumb brushed the offending liquid away, it hurt me so deeply to see her cry, I couldn't bear it.

"Will you stay with me tonight?"

"I stay with you every night Bella," I reminded her,

"Sometimes I feel like you're not there," she was observant, even in unconsciousness,

"I won't leave you," I promised, not knowing at that moment whether I would keep to it for that night or leave just like I had every night before this,

"Will you hold me?"

Her voice was lower than before, her cheeks filled with her blush, I couldn't tell her no.

I pulled her gently to the sofa, thank god its big enough, I thought to myself. I didn't think I could go into another room upstairs; she climbed under the sheets next me and curled up on her side. she clutched my shirt with her fingertips and let out a sigh. I pulled the blanket over her and tucked it in at the sides before pressing my lips softly into her hair. She nuzzled my neck with her nose and I felt her lips kiss the skin; they were so soft and warm.

I didn't leave, I kept my promise, I just lay there next to my Bella listening to her breathe and her hearts steady rhythm.

**Ok, I just couldn't help myself, the whole meadow thing...it's just too awesome...I'm going to start kicking into the climax in the next chapter, whooooo  
I've finished the whole thing now so I can say that.... :)**

**...remember reviews tell me if I'm making sense, plus I get a buzz when I see them in my inbox...**


	9. Chapter 9

**Aww, wasnt the last chapter so cute? okay so here is the next one, there is only a couple left, **

The next night I had to hunt, I had spent the whole night before holding her, letting her breath and scent assault me, the whole day I spent with her, almost always keeping skin contact with her, she had told me again that she loved me, she had threaded her fingers through mine, she hand kissed my palm. All the while I was more enthralled by her, I eagerly reminded her that I felt the same, I gently squeezed her hand in mine, I would stroke her face and tell her she was beautiful, and I would kiss her hand when it came up to mine.

She didn't flinch when I touched her, she didn't tense up or move away from me, but I knew I couldn't kiss her. My lips wanted nothing more than to find hers, to taste hers. But I knew she wasn't ready, I knew she would let me know when I could.

After I had finished a small herd of deer, took my fill of the largest male, I went in search of the trail I had neglected the previous night.

I followed it through the trees, noticing where it was leading me and briefly wondering if I was following an old one, before arguing with myself that this was fresh, more potent.

I wandered up the steps of the now familiar lodge,

_His scent keeps leading back here, his tracking skills are weak, what does he expect to find here...?_

He was here, I could hear him, I could smell him, I had no doubt he could tell I was tracking him, his thoughts alerted me that he knew I was here, he was at the door of the lodge within a second, smiling at me as if we were old friends, reuniting on the porch of the old cabin.

"Edward," he nodded, his thoughts impressed, "I didn't think you would be able to do it but you actually caught me off guard,"

I stood motionless, I refuse to converse with the monster who tore apart my family and wrecked my Bella's life,

_Does he know that I know he has my human? I wonder, has he killed her, I smelt no new blood in the lodge, maybe he took her someplace else, fed on her..._

His thoughts then shifted to mental images of me and Bella, my teeth sinking into her flesh, he thought I would leave her as a message to him,

"You've been tracking me," he said politely unaware that I knew where his thoughts were, I nodded curtly, my anger strangely reeled in, "I wonder, why?"

Did he really think so low of me that I would not take revenge on my family's death? He knew exactly why,

"ah, your family," he paused, smiling at me again, "you see your bonds, your breakable human bonds are why your coven fell, I was merely the tool of that destruction," he shifted his weight to his left foot, I adjusted mine, he smiled at his test, he now knew that where he moved I would move.

"Did you kill my human Edward?"

His thoughts turned to the kill again and I mentally winced, he needed a reason to attack me, claiming the girl, killing her would give him that reason,

"She is alive," I replied, his thoughts were shocked, yet he smiled at me,

"Ah," he took a step, I countered it, he was thinking of the possibilities of my words,

He was thinking through strategies, ways around me, he was going to attack.

"Did the two that tried tracking me catch up with you?"

He took my silence as a yes,

"I was so frustrated I couldn't finish the rest of you off, but Victoria advised me that now was the best time to escape, I could come back and finish the job, but I haven't came across their scent...only yours," he took another step, as did I. He became annoyed at my silence, his brow furrowed and he placed his hands behind his back, "maybe I could find her and finish the job," he was trying to provoke me, I just smiled at him,

"So you and Victoria haven't caught since the fight?" I asked, knowing the answer,

"No, I suppose your feeble attempt at tracking us has kept her in hiding, she would never attack, she is under order," I openly laughed now,

"Well that didn't stop her," I chuckled, his thoughts stopped temporarily and then flew, he was angry that she had disobeyed him, and he planned to show his mate the consequences of betrayal, this just made me laugh harder, "you won't have a chance to reprimand her James," my chuckle died as his thoughts zeroed in on the reason why, he reaction shocked me.

He was distraught, he was grief stricken, and he kept thinking over and over again that she was dead. His sadness dissolved quickly into anger, he had his reason. His body crouched over and he took his attack stance, mine almost immediately returned the threatening gesture.

He bared his teeth and me and snarled, I felt my lips pull back and a loud growl came from my chest, he stepped around the porch almost humanly slow, in a tight circle, my body, ready for the fight, mirrored his moves. He was looking for a weak spot, a place to line his attack, a place to start.

He realised that my defence was practically flawless and briefly thought about running, but his anger towards me, his lust for revenge for his mate overwhelmed his flight instinct an he propelled his body into mine, lunging for my throat.

**I know its evil, but I'm going to leave you here...  
The next two will be up tommorrow, thus ending this little experiment. **

**You see I suck at long term Fics, I'm surprised I kept this up to 11, but from my reveiws and stuff,(which are still mega awesome btw) I can see that I did something right... thanks to everyone...hehe...**


	10. Chapter 10

**I tried a fight scene...go me!....**

He crashed into me with all of his force, knocking me through the wooden panelling of the lodge's porch; I brought my legs up and kicked him off me, pushing his body yards away. He rolled from his back into his crouch again and he jumped about a sixteenth of a second after he thought about it, I moved out of his way and he landed inches away from clashing into a tree to the side of the lodge.

I sped down the steps, and onto the forest floor, he followed, trying to pounce at my exposed back. I manoeuvred out of the way but his shoulder clipped mine, causing me to jolt forward a little, I turned and launched at him, my hands curled around his neck, his hands clamped down on my shoulders as he twisted out of my hold.

I fell back into a crouch and flew at him again, this time he ran. He bolted through the trees, his thoughts helping me; he planned on double backing, catching me off guard in the chase.

When he turned to confront me I ran around behind him, he turned back towards me and growled, launching his teeth inches from my throat. I leaned back and grabbed his shoulders throwing him into a thick tree meters from me. The ancestor plant shivered, and a few birds left its highest branches before it completely stilled.

James growled in response and threw himself at me again, kicking off from the tree, it shook again and the bark fell away from where his feet were. His form crashed into my upper body knocking me into an unfortunate young spruce, it snapped off where I came into contact with it and me James and the trunk fell to the ground.

James snapped his teeth at my face, my hands around his neck the only thing keeping him from penetrating my skin. He was strong, he had properly fed not much longer than a few hours ago, and I knew I would be almost as strong if I had gone on a proper hunt.

I managed to use his weight to roll him over my head, quickly returning to my defence pose, ready for his next attack.

He was going to run around to my back, try to knock me off balance and then go for the kill. He sprang from his spot and I turned to where he was going to kick from, spinning myself out of the way, but landing a blow to his chest, he fell to the ground and the earth shook a little under the force, he quickly righted himself and flew up from the ground, knocking me backwards. His hands crushed the tops of my arms, holding me before throwing me into open space. When I hit the floor, his thoughts alerted me to him, and he was going in for the kill again, launching his teeth at my throat.

I skimmed the forest floor and span back around, standing about a meter away from him, he crouched over again, but he didn't attack.

He was running over plans in his head, recounting each battle, each opponent he had faced. He briefly wondered what my gift was and if it was helping me, but quickly fell into strategy again.

He took a step and I countered it, he tried to catch me by surprise again, but I moved to the side quickly turning to see him already in his crouch, he launched at me again, I moved again. He growled and I retuned the sound, I flung myself across the open space at the same time he did and we collided in the middle, my body pinning his to the ground.

He struggled underneath me and flipped me over, his legs on either side of me, his mouth dripping with venom as he snarled at me, my hands instinctively came to hold him above me, I threw myself into a sitting positions and kicked off from the ground throwing us both into another large tree.

I righted our posture and slammed him into the same tree, it shook again, the bark falling away from James' shoulders, he pushed my shoulders back and we fell again, I twisted us and I landed on top of him,

He was going to kick me off, but I used all my strength to plunge my teeth into his shoulder, to sever the skin, his body writhed against me and his arms pulled at me, I cut at his joints, pulling them as his screams reverberating off the trees. With his arms lying yards away from each other I was able to start a fire going quickly. I raced around collecting the bits before throwing them onto the growing flames.

I watched as the pieces of the vampire who destroyed my existence crumple in the flames, I watched his body turn to ash before dousing the fire and turning to return back home, to my Bella.

**ok..so how'd that go? alright? **

**one chapter left...unless I do an epilogue type thingy...hmm...*idea*  
let me know if I should.... :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**It's a short-en...but it gets the closing final-ness of the whole thing...enjoy...**

Before I reached the door I realised how much my joints _ached_, opening the door, lifting my arm shot a strange painful impulse through my shoulder. It felt like if I were human, every inch of me would be bruised, if there were any parts of me left at all.

The sun was barely peeking past the horizon but as soon as stepped through the threshold her gasp rang out, I tired straightening up from my slump but winced as the strange pain like feeling ran up my body,

"Bella what are you doing awake?" my voice sounded pained and she rushed to me, throwing her arms around my neck and pressing her body into mine.

"I was so worried, I woke up and you weren't here," she mumbled into my neck, I embraced her in my arms and nuzzled her neck, I had her back in my arms, it was the most relieving feeling I had ever felt.

And I knew he could never hurt her again, he could never come back. but she didn't, as far as she was aware he was still out there, she had said a few nights ago that she felt he was close, I had to tell her, to make her truly free of him. I clutched her tighter,

"Where did you go?" she asked quietly, I released my hold on her and she stepped a few inches away, she looked down at my clothes and let out a gasp. I hadn't noticed but what was left of my clothes was covered in dirt and debris from the forest, my shirt was ripped at the side in a diagonal line, my jeans were torn and embedded with dirt, I could only imagine what my face and hair must look like.

"Bella I need to tell you something,"

Her heat beat sped up and so did her breathing but she let me pull her to the sofa,

"I haven't been completely honest Bella," I looked over at her, "I kept something from you, do you remember when you thought you could feel James, in the woods?" I noticed her shoulders tense up when I said his name, her hand dropped from mine,

"Yes," she mouthed,

"He was there," she stopped breathing but her heartbeat sped up, "Bella breathe,"

Her body started shaking; she let out her breath and drew in a ragged one,

"I said, I told you...I told you to leave me, but you didn't and now...now he's going to kill you Edward, and I'm going to have to watch...and..."

"Bella calm down," I reached out for her but she jumped back, the tears streaming down her face, her body jolting with her sobs, "he won't, he can't,"

"You can't know that...you haven't seen him on the hunt...Edward he won't stop, he hates to lose," she was sobbing even more violently, her eyes frantically seeing something in her past, a few tears escaped her eyes, and she jumped up, "I have to go, if I leave...he won't know you had me, I'll go back to the cabin...then I can..."

"Bella no," I stood up, ignoring the aches in my knees, "it's finished, he won't be able to find you or me ever again,"

The room fell silent, her hyperventilating ceased almost suddenly, she snapped her head up and her eyes connected with mine,

"Did...did you find him?" her voice was a whisper, I nodded at her, "did you kill him?" she was almost silent,

"Yes" I whispered, expecting her to scream at me, shout and tell me I was a monster, but she launched herself into the empty space between us, her arms wrapped around my neck and she nuzzled her head into my shoulder. The scent of her hair hit me and I pressed my face into it.

"Thank you Edward." She was thanking me, I lifted out of her embrace a little to look into her eyes, they had tears in them yet her mouth was smiling, she was happy. Her hand came round to caress my face and I leaned into her palm.

"I'm sorry I lied to you, I should have told you that I found his trail, I just thought that if you didn't know then you would feel a little safer, I just wanted you to feel safe..." her fingertip traced my lips stopping my words, my apology,

"It's okay Edward it's finished," she whispered quoting my earlier words, she closed the gap between us and pressed her lips to mine, I froze. Her hand slid round to the back of my neck, she parted her lips slightly and breathed against mine, it touched my tongue, I could taste it, and her breath was so sweet. My eyes closed in pleasure and my hands slid around to hold her back, she leaned into me and her lips pressed onto mine with a little more pressure. She began moving her mouth and I responded, our lips moving together deliciously.

When she pulled back and I kissed her lips once more. She looked up at me and her eyes were happy, her mouth in a small smile.

She dropped her head and nuzzled my neck; I pressed my lips into her hair, and watched the suns first rays peek through the window glass onto the floorboards, with my Bella in my arms.

**And I leave you here...thanks to everyone who gave me a smlie when they either reveiwed, favorited or alerted this story... seriously I get a buzz when I see little emails in my inbox...hehe.**

**Well I hope you enjoyed it...**

**love love and all that jazz....**


	12. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

**BELLAS POV**

I didn't want to open my eyes, but I knew I was awake, and so did he. I snuggled back into Edwards chest, he pressed his face into my hair,

"Edward?" my voice was thick with sleep,

"Morning Bella," he murmured, I could hear the smile in his voice, and I felt the heat rise through my cheeks,

"Ugh what did I say now," I nuzzled my face into the pillow, he tightened his arms around my waist under the covers,

"Nothing but the usual, it still makes me happy to hear it,"

"I say it all the time," I mumbled, I was always embarrassed when he told me he eavesdropped on my sleep talking, he chuckled and swept the hair from the base of my neck, I felt his lips drop a kiss on my pulse point. I smiled to myself, I was long past the nervousness of Edwards's lips on my skin, I was no longer reminded of James when his lips touched mine, now all I could concentrate on was making sure I was inhaling and exhaling.

"I love you," he murmured into my skin, I opened my mouth to return the feeling when my stomach grumbled, I sighed loudly and he chuckled again, "breakfast?"

I rolled away from him and slid out of the giant bed that took up most of Edward's room, a bed that was absolutely beautiful but I immediately protested against, Edwards argument: was I going to sleep on a sofa for the rest of my life?

As our morning ritual went, he raced downstairs while I got ready.

When I came downstairs, dressed, I knew what he was going to say. I heard the cereal being poured into a bowl,

"If you are going to ask me if I'm sure I want cereal the answer is yes, give it..."

I reached for the bowl with a smile on my face, his smile telling me that I got his thoughts right, sometimes it felt like I was more of the mind reader than he was. He was curiously silent when I was eating, not that he provided much conversation while I ate my breakfast, he thought it was disgusting. But today was different, something about the way he was leaning on the counter, he seemed unsure about something,

"Emmett and Rose are coming to visit today," he said calmly, I knew he was gauging my reaction,

I froze mid chew, we had discussed this, I was terrified of them, not because they were vampires but because they wouldn't approve of me, something Edward found incredibly interesting. They didn't know I was human, Edward had told them he had found someone, after he told them about the fight between him and James, but he never told them I was human. What would they think?

"When will they get here?" I asked, my voice quiet, he just smiled at me as if I were missing something.

The front door opened and a large man strode into the kitchen, he was huge, he had dark curly hair, he was as pale as Edward and had almost the exact shade of gold tinting his eyes, I couldn't help but smile at him, he went straight over and embraced Edward.

"Hey, bro. Long time no see," he chuckled,

"Emmett, thanks really, can you let go?" Emmett dropped him and Edward straightened up, he looked over at the door and I saw another vampire occupying the space, she was the most beautiful person I had ever saw, her long blond hair waved delicately, stopping midway down her back. Her features were perfectly angular, and her eyes were the same golden tone I had come to love. Her face, however, was annoyed, she looked at me and I immediately felt intimated by this goddess,

"Thanks Rose," Edward growled at her, but before I could think,

"Is this her?" Emmett was in front of me, across the table, I jumped a little as his sudden appearance but couldn't help smiling at his boyish grin,

"I'm Emmett," he reached out to shake my hand, I met his in the middle and he gripped it gently, he smiled and turned to Edward,

"Bella," I introduce myself,

"I like her." He said, looking back at me, I felt my cheeks heat up and he dropped his hand, chuckling slightly, "And that's Rosalie," he gestured to the gorgeous blond, who hadn't moved a muscle, "she's shy,"

"I'm not shy," her tone was hostile, Edward shot her a look and she looked back at me, "it's nice to meet you Bella,"

I didn't want to risk angering her further, she seemed angry at least, I couldn't help but think that was my fault, I got the impression she didn't like me very much. So I just nodded my head in her direction.

She turned so quickly I almost missed it and sped out of the room,

"Don't worry about her, she's not very sociable" Emmett pointed his thumb in the direction that she left, "so Bella, you know about the big bad vampires,"

I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Edward had tensed up; he stood straight and looked at me, with a panicked expression. I just smiled at the big vampire, and nodded my head, noticing all too well Edwards relieved smile.

I didn't bother me to talk about my struggles, if James had never left me in that lodge Edward would have never found me, and I thank whatever power there is every day for that miracle.

There was a moment of silence and both Edward and Emmett started laughing, I looked over at Edward and he shook his head,

"She can hear us, she thinks it's funny, that..." he trailed off smiling,

"That Eddie has fallen for a human, it's a little strange," Emmett finished,

I smiled again at the huge vampire in front of me, his laugh was infectious and I felt a little giggle escape me. Looking over at Emmett I realised I felt extremely comfortable with him, like he was a long lost friend.

"Do you know how long you will be staying?" Edward asked when his laughter had subsided,

"Trying to get rid of us already," Emmett playfully shook his head.

Emmett and Edward caught up; they talked a little about me, about James, about hunting ranges and wolves. Most of it I was lost in. Rosalie never came back into the kitchen, Edward had told me she was in the garage, becoming reacquainted with the long ago familiar space. The topic of Emmett's and Rose's current residence came up, apparently they had bought a spacious home in the wilderness of Denali, to be close to a woman named Tanya's family.

"I bet Tanya would rather be close to you Edward," Emmett winked, Edward just shot his old brother a glare,

"What does that mean?" I said without thinking, Emmett turned to me with a strange expression on his face, as if he had forgotten I was here,

"It's nothing, just Edward has a few fans," he chuckled again, and I felt like I was missing something, Edward looked over at me apologetically and I knew I wouldn't get the answers off him; I playfully glared at him and stalked off out of the kitchen.

I got to the foot of the stairs and my uncoordination got the better of me for the hundredth time this week, before I could register what was happening my body was flying backwards, my backside colliding with the ground. I huffed and tried to stand back up, to slip again.

"Now I really like her..." Emmett's voice boomed from the doorway to the kitchen,

I heard a giggle and turned my head to see Rosalie standing by the front door, she had obviously came to investigate the noise of my very human bottom colliding with the very wooden floor. Great.

Edward sped past Emmett to help me up,

"Bella you should be more careful,"

I felt my cheeks heat up as I righted myself, I looked back towards Emmett and he was in hysterics, his laughter incredibility louder than before, I glared at him.

"Shut up Emmett," my vampire growled.

**And some useless bits of fluff to end with...ah Bella's physical comedy.**

**ps...I'm working on another fic...its AU AH... I quite like the idea of it... its in Bella's POV and everything!**


End file.
